DVM Taking Credit and Debit Cards

In another effort to make NCDMV visits shorter and more efficient, the acceptance of credit and debit cards at the state’s license plate agencies and state registration offices has brought an easier, quicker way to pay registration renewals and vehicle property taxes.

On May 30, soon after debit card collections had been phased in statewide, 9,247 debit and credit card transactions remitted more than $1.4 million statewide. Of those, 6,130 transactions were delivered through debit cards and 3,117 came in using credit cards.

Acceptance of the cards arrived with the implementation of the “Tag and Tax” program last fall and was phased in across the state. The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles has been accepting MasterCard, Visa and Discover cards across the state since Dec. 17. Debit cards have been accepted statewide since May 27.

“We are very happy to have another way to make our customers’ transactions easier,” said Motor Vehicles Commissioner Kelly Thomas. “Our staff has worked hard to get these systems up and running in coordination with the state’s vehicle registration system. This is a big win for everyone.”

The Division was forced to slow down the acceptance of debit cards last fall, when the payment card system experienced a network outage. While credit card transactions returned to stable operations sooner, debit card operations only recently reached full statewide coverage.

The Division expects to initiate debit and credit card collections in its driver license offices with the implementation of its Next Generation driver license system in early to mid-2015.